


Get Help

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Hospitals, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Loki is temporarily human, Loss of Powers, Natasha is sent to babysit, Surgery, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, Worried Thor (Marvel), bridal carry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 02:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20987309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: Thor: Ragnarok fork in the road AU. When Thor comes looking for his father Strange says Odin has chosen to remain in exile and he'll need to ask permission to reveal his location. Thor and Loki go out for coffee while they wait but Loki is shot when he interrupts a robbery. A desperate Thor rushes Loki to the nearest hospital. Something is very wrong when a single human bullet can do so much harm, and Thor is lost, alone, and afraid that five minutes after he's discovered Loki is alive that he's going to lose him again.





	Get Help

**Author's Note:**

> For [Whumptober 2019](https://whumptober2019.tumblr.com/post/187785964678/whumptober2019-october-approaches-and-so-does) prompt 23 Bleeding Out

"So," Strange said, seated in his armchair. "I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings."

"He's a worthy inclusion," Thor said, admiring the giant glass of ale that appeared in his hand.

"Then why bring him here?"

"We're looking for my father."

"I have to tell you that Odin was adamant that he not be disturbed."

"You spoke to my father?"

Strange nodded. "Your father said he had chosen to remain in exile. I will not reveal his location without his permission. And I must ask you to leave Earth."

Thor slammed the glass down on a side table he didn't think was there before. "I must speak with my father!"

"I will take him a message," Strange said. "And if he wishes, then I will take you to him."

"Us," Thor said. "And I must ask you, where is my brother?"

Strange snapped his fingers. Loki dropped from a portal which appeared in the ceiling and fell to the floor. He looked up, furious, whipping his hair back from his face.

"I have been falling," Loki snarled, "for thirty minutes!" He scrambled to his feet. Thor put out a restraining hand. Strange stepped forward.

"Hello," he said, clapping Loki on the shoulder. 

Loki paled, swayed on the spot. "What...don't touch me!" He tried to grab Strange but he was already back across the room.

"That should keep you out of trouble until I return," Strange said.

"What's going on?" Loki demanded.

"Your brother will explain. Now both you of, please leave," Strange said. "I will return shortly. Go and get coffee or something."

And Thor and Loki found themselves in the street outside. Minus Mjolnir, but Thor wasn't concerned. He knew his hammer would return when needed and he felt certain Strange would call them back soon enough.

"Who was that? How dare he treat princes of Asgard this way!" Loki brused angrily at his clothing and smoothed down his hair.

Thor told Loki about his meeting with Strange. "I'm sure father will agree to see us," he said. "It probably won't take long."

"I am going to wring every drop of magic from that pseudo-sorcerer's feeble body," Loki swore.

Grumbling, Loki followed Thor, who picked a random direction and began walking, sure in the knowledge one was never far from a coffee shop in New York. He was proven right soon enough.

"I'll get us coffee," Thor said.

"You're going to do everything the miserable magician suggested?" Loki eyed a news stand. "I'll wait here."

Thor went to fetch coffee while Loki, rolling his eyes, browsed the brightly coloured magazine covers. Such a variety of bizarre human interests. The owner, an elderly gentleman with white hair, was perched on a stall. He nudged at his large glasses and gave Loki a smile.

"If you don't see what you're looking for it I can order it," he said.

"Thank you," Loki said, hoping this would enough to be left in peace.

A man in a smart business suit stopped and purchased a newspaper, a woman with a nose ring chose a magazine about tropical fish. Loki flicked through a fashion magazine, twitching at Thor's dismissal of his black outfit given the outlandish outfits the humans were wearing in the oddly posed photographs.

"Give me all your money!"

Loki turned to see a scruffy young man hovering over the terrified owner.

"Robbie, no," the owner said. "You're high again."

"Just give me the money!" Robbie yelled.

Loki replaced the magazine on the stall and moved towards Robbie. The human was anxious, pupils wide, body trembling and sweating, and he had a gun. Thor wasn't back yet to be heroic so Loki supposed it fell to him. Thor wouldn't be pleased if he let a robbery happen. It was all very tiresome.

"I doubt the amount of money this gentleman makes is enough to purchase more drugs," Loki said.

"Keep out of this," Robbie snapped, waving the gun at Loki. "And give me your wallet!

Loki's arm shot out and grabbed Robbie's wrist. But his strength failed him; he was not as strong nor as fast as he should have been. They wrestled for the gun.

The gun went off.

*

Thor heard the gunshot as he exited the coffee shop, a tall cup in each hand, and frowned. He headed back to the news stand where he'd left Loki to ask if he'd heard or seen anything.

He dropped the coffee when he saw Loki sprawled on the floor. The owner of the stand was yelling for help.

"Loki!" Thor knelt at his side. There was blood pooling on Loki's torso, the black shirt dark and wet on the right side. Loki staring at the sky, unable to speak, clearly in shock.

"Robbie shot him! You have to call 9-1-1," the owner said.

Thor wasn't going to wait for an ambulance, knowing how bad traffic could be at this time of day.

"Where's the nearest hospital?" Thor demanded.

"Three blocks that way," the white haired man said, pointing. "But you should call for help."

Thor gathered Loki up in his arms - bridal style, Jane had called it when he'd carried her to their bed this way. Loki moaned and then was still.

"Hold on," Thor said and began to run as fast as he could with his precious burden.

*

Thor carried Loki to the hospital entrance. He staggered inside. "Help! Get help! My brother is dying!"

It took only a few moments before medical personnel swarmed them. A gurney was brought over. Thor laid Loki down.

"What happened?" someone was asking.

"He was shot," Thor said. His eyes were still on Loki, blood still pouring from the wound, Loki so still it wasn't obvious if he was even breathing, his skin paler than ever.

"What's his name?"

"Loki."

A nurse put one hand on Thor's arm, trying to get his attention. "Sir. Let them work."

Thor remained where he was as the medics moved Loki to a nearby bay, the curtains half-drawn. The doctors and nurses surrounded Loki, working to assess and treat him. Thor heard someone demand more units of blood, "He's bleeding out, we need to get more fluids in."

"He's in good hands," the nurse said. "You got him here alive. Let us help him. Are you hurt?"

The question threw him and he stared down at her, a small woman with curly black hair. Her name badge read Jenna Rodriguez.

"No." He caught sight of his bloodied hands, the splatter on his clothing. "I'm...all this blood is his."

Jen nodded. "Here," she said, and guided him away from the trauma bays. "The bathroom is here. Why don't you wash up?"

She pushed the door ajar and he went inside. He scrubbed Loki's blood from his fingers, the water turning red then pink before it finally ran clear. He fought the urge to vomit, blinked back tears. He washed his face, gathered himself. There wasn't much to be done about the splatter on his clothes.

When Thor headed back out Jenna was waiting. She had a clipboard and he followed to her a quiet corner and sat in the plastic chair she pointed out.

"What is your name?"

"Thor."

"Thor," she repeated. There was no sign of recognitions on her face. "It would be helpful if you can fill this in." She handed him a clipboard, a pen attached by a thin string.

Thor glanced at the questions. Insurance. Blood type. Lots of things he had no idea about.

"Is there someone I can call for you?" Jenna asked, seeing his confusion. Maybe she thought he was just in shock. It wasn't entirely inaccurate.

He shook his head. He didn't have a phone, didn't have any phone numbers memorised. 

"Okay. Do your best," Jenna said. "I'll be right back."

Thor filled in Loki's name but date of birth was going to be difficult to explain in Earth terms. Home address too would no doubt be an issue.

Jenna returned to find him doodling on the intake form. "Thor," she said, sitting next to him. "They've stabilised Loki for the moment but it looks like the bullet is lodged in his liver. They're taking him into surgery now. I'm going to take you upstairs to wait."

He nodded, followed her obediently. They took the elevator to another floor where he sat in a slightly more comfortable chair near a window. He was clutching the clipboard like a life preserver. He felt alone and lost in a way he'd never felt when otherwise single headedly off on a mission in unknown territory. He was no coward but bravery meant nothing here, not when he was helpless to save Loki and feared losing him.

"The doctor will come and see you as soon as we know anything," Jenna said. "It's a serious injury but we have a great trauma team here and they will do everything they can."

"Thank you," Thor said. When she left him, he sketched a snake winding its way across the paper. Loki was a shapeshifter. He had healing abilities. This stupid, human inflicted, injury shouldn't have been such an issue.

If it was one of Loki's tricks Thor was going to be angry and thankful and hug him tight and then punch him in the nose. And then hug him again.

"Thor."

This time it wasn't Jenna. He looked up to find Natasha standing in front of him. She took the seat next to him.

"You should have called," Natasha said.

"I don't have a phone. How did you find me?"

"Social media. A selfie posted #imetThor and an image of you by a coffee shop tagged #Thor #NY #herocoffee. Tony has a computer algorithm keeping track of these things and coupling them with with facial recognition. The CCTV of Loki getting shot and you carrying him here is what had Tony call me."

Thor nodded. "I don’t know how it happened. It was someone called Robbie, I think."

"The CCTV footage suggests Loki was trying to stop a robbery."

The irony of Loki being hurt trying to do something good was not lost on Thor. "They took him into surgery," he told Natasha. They said it's bad. He lost a lot of blood. He's not human. It shouldn't be this bad."

Natasha pulled the clipboard from him as his grip increased, threatening to snap the flimsy thing in half. "I'm here," she said. "I'm going to fill in this paperwork and Tony is going to take care of the bills, so don't worry about any of that. We'll figure the rest out. Including finding this Robbie."

They sat in silence for a while. Natasha took the clipboard to the desk and had a long conversation with the on duty nurse. She fetched coffee and they both sipped at their drinks though Thor remembered dropping his cup to the floor not long ago, hot liquid spraying over the street when he saw Loki lying in a pool of blood.

He'd mourned Loki, as he'd told him just a couple of hours ago. He'd grieved and then found that Loki was alive. Whatever their differences Thor had been happy to see his brother alive. He thought they would find Odin easily enough and once things were back to normal then Thor and Loki could talk through their issues. Thor could express his anger and then hold Loki tight and express his relief and his love.

Now he might never get the chance.

Jenna returned with a doctor following her. She pointed him out and the man approached them. 

"Thor...like...the guy with the hammer?" the surgeon asked.

"Yes."

"Does that matter?" Natasha asked archly.

The doctor shook his head. "No. I'm sorry."

"Do you have news?" Thor asked.

"Yes. I'm Doctor Weldon, trauma surgeon assigned to your brother. The surgery went well. He's in recovery and we'll be moving him to the ICU shortly. He's suffered a serious injury and the next few hours are critical but I'm hopeful he'll pull through."

Natasha nodded. "There could be complications or the trauma could be too significant," she said. "But he's strong and you've got him this far."

"Yes," Weldon agreed, taken aback by her bluntness.

"I want to see him," Thor said, ready to summon Mjolnir if there was any resistance.

There was no argument. Jenna stepped forward. "As soon as he's settled I'll take you to the ICU."

It was only another few minutes before Thor was called for. Natasha stayed behind while Thor was escorted down a corridor, through security doors, and to one of the small rooms in the ICU department.

Thor's breath caught in his throat. Loki was unconscious. There was so much machinery, beeping monitors, a clip on one finger, a cuff wrapped around one arm. IV lines, an oxygen mask, leads stuck on his chest. On his exposed torso was a large white dressing covering the surgical incision.

Thor sank onto the chair at the bedside. He reached out and gently stroked at a lock of Loki's hair, so dark against the pale skin and white pillow.

"I'm here, Loki," he said, voice trembling with emotion. "You'll be all right. You'll recover and we'll find father, together."

He reached out, gently placed one hand over Loki's taking care not to disturb any of the medical paraphernalia.

"Thor," Strange said and Thor turned to see the magician standing in the doorway. "My apologies. I was unavoidably detained on the way back to see you. What happened?"

Thor got to his feet. "My brother was injured! Nearly killed!"

"I am dreadfully sorry." Strange skirted Thor and moved to place one hand on Loki's shoulder. The monitors beeped a little faster. Colour began to fill Loki's cheeks.

"You did this," Thor said. He held his hand out to one side, palm exposed. Not the shooting but Loki's vulnerability. 

Strange understood for when he straightened up he said, "I temporarily made him human, yes. So he could not cause any trouble while on Earth."

"He nearly died stopping a robbery!" Thor's fingers twitched.

"Then he's a better man than I thought," Strange said. "He'll recover rapidly now."

There was a crash of breaking glass and Mjolnir sped toward them, smacking into Thor's hand. Mjolnir was still disguised as an umbrella so the sight was perhaps less impressive than it might have been.

"I did not intend him any harm," Strange said, approaching Thor with his hands held up in surrender. "And I have good news. Your father wishes to see you both."

Thor slowly lowered Mjolnir. Strange's hand darted out, tugging a hair from Thor's head.

"Ow! My hair is not to be touched," Thor shouted.

"A necessary evil," Strange said, wrapping the hair around a small twig he pulled from beneath his cloak. He passed the twig to Thor. "When you get outside, throw this to the floor and a portal will open. It will take you both straight to Odin."

Thor stared at the bit of wood with his blond hair cocooning it. When he looked up, Strange had vanished. And Loki was stirring.

"Loki!" Thor jammed the twig into his pocket and put Mjolinar down on the side of the bed, moving to give Loki a smile. "Loki, you're alive."

Loki's eyes flickered open. One hand fumbled for the oxygen mask.

"We'll get you out of here," Thor promised.

Natasha came to see what was going on. "I'm guessing that disturbance was your doing and that Tony's paying for a new window, too."

"Yes. Please send my apologies to Mr Stark." Thor didn't take his eyes off Loki. "And we need some help. My brother is much recovered."

Natasha shrugged, having witnessed weirder things. "I suppose you'll need clean clothing for him too. I'll have something sent over." She went on her way.

"I tried to help," Loki said hoarsely, removing the oxygen mask.

"I know. I'm very proud." Thor would explain the rest later. "How is your wound?"

Loki peeled back the dressing. The stitches were still in place however the wound beneath had all but healed.

"As soon as we get out of here we're going to see father," Thor said. He cupped Loki's face in one hand. "Please, Loki, try not to die again. I'm not sure I can bear to keep losing you."

"I won't make any promises" Loki said, mischief dancing in his eyes once more. "But I'll try."

It was the best Thor could hope for.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't one of my main fandoms but this is a second Whumptober fic I wrote because it's something I wanted to read but couldn't otherwise find. If you enjoyed it comments are welcomed, as are recs for similar hurt!loki fics I might not have read (Thorki or not, both are fine.)


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